Meet Major Prabhat Mishra: Indian army officer who beat officers from 92 countries to win top American academic honours

An Indian major recently beat officers from across 92 countries and won two top American academic awards, making new records and breaking headlines. Major Prabhat Mishra of the Indian Army has received two top academic awards at the US Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC), outperforming other officers who took part in the 10-month leadership programme in the United States.This year, the programme graduated 951 officers including 120 international military officers belonging to 92 countries. The awards recognise talent in military studies, research and leadership writing.The major was among a select group of officers recognised for their academic performance during the course. He received the Birrer-Brookes Award for Outstanding Master of Military Arts and Science Thesis and the General Douglas MacArthur Military Leadership Writing Award during the graduation ceremony of the Command and General Staff Officer Course (CGSOC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.For Major Mishra, the recognition marks another milestone in a military career embedded with professional recognition and service. Officers selected to attend the Command and General Staff Officer Course represent some of the most promising field-grade leaders in their respective armed forces. The ceremony also honoured officers from other countries. Major Aleksander Granberg of Norway received the General Dwight D. Eisenhower Award and the Arter-Doniphan Award, while Lieutenant Colonel Taleh SFHH Alrashid of Kuwait received the Major General Hans Schlup Award.The Command and General Staff College is one of the most prominent military education institutions in the world. It is an international military education programme that was started in 1894 and has since trained more than 8,700 international military students from nearly 170 countries alongside their American counterparts.According to the college, its mission is to develop agile, innovative and adaptive leaders capable of operating in uncertain and rapidly evolving environments. Major Mishra's performance at the institution has now placed an Indian Army officer among the top academic achievers of this year's graduating cohort.